Pros
I wanted to help women experiencing Domestic Violence and the daunting prospect of navigating the criminal justice system. I met some nice people while working here, who I’m still close to.
Cons
Training was inconsistent and severely lacking. HR was very mean and said hurtful things when I “just wasn’t getting it” (despite repeatedly asking for more training). There is far too much work for the amount of advocates they hire. I was paid far less than I’m worth (but knew that going in and just wanted to help people). Benefits packages were laughable at the pay the offer. Some of the partner agencies treat the advocates like crap as a result of the reputation Tubman has earned and won’t offer any opportunity to dispel their preconceived notions. For a women’s agency I’ve never seen so much catty- ness and lack of support for fellow advocates. They would openly talk bad about each other to other advocates. Client’s who returned for services (due to new charges against their abuser) were judged, stereotyped and looked down on as though it was their fault for being abused. Clients are not well served by the advocates due to the overwhelming caseloads and strict deadlines and you are discouraged from spending “too much time” talking to clients who are in crisis. Although I don’t have solid evidence, I believe there’s a misappropriation of funding that Tubman receives especially when it comes to services offered to clients not in the shelter. Other agencies are able to help their clients a lot more on exponentially smaller budgets. A huge mistake to leave a job I loved to take a pay cut and have such a horrible experience.